Three Eel Dishes うなぎの蒲焼料理3種類

Fresh water eel or “unagi 鰻” is a popular fish item in Japan and many restaurants specialize in eel dishes. At these specialized restaurants, eels are brought in live and prepared on site. “Kaba-yaki 蒲焼“ (eel grilled with sauce) is the most common dish with two variations of preparation and cooking* i.e., Kansai, Eastern Japan 関西 and Tokyo 東京 styles.  (Even in Japan, however, other types of restaurants may use previously prepared and frozen eel the majority of which comes from China (99 percent) and the rest from Taiwan.) Once eel kaba-yaki is prepared, two main ways of eating it is “Una-ju 鰻重” and “Una-don 鰻丼”. Both are eel kaba-yaki on rice but the former is served in a Ju-bako 重箱  (a square lacquered box) and the latter in a don-buri 丼bowl. Consequently, Una-ju is the more expensive and formal way of serving eel on rice. Una-don is the more informal way of serving eel.

In the U.S., although some eel is aqua-cultured in Maine and some restaurants may bring it in live and prepared it on site,  most of the eel is pre-packaged and frozen. The majority of this frozen eel comes from China, and Vietnam.

*For Tokyo style the filet of the eel comes from the eel’s back. It is then steamed, and grilled. For Kansai style the filet comes from the eel belly. It is then grilled without steaming. Please see here in more details.

We had a package of frozen eel kaba-yaki (11oz) in our freezer which came from Weee some time ago. We decided it was time to eat it. Since we are not big eaters and eel is quite rich, we ended up making three dishes over 3 days to finish the entire package. (Of course, we had some other small dishes along with the eel so we didn’t just eat eel for 3 days.)

The first dish I made (picture #1), is called “Wu-zaku 鰻ざく”. I posted a version of this some time ago. It is a combination of cold cucumber with julienned ginger and vinegar dressing and warmed slices of kaba-yaki eel. The cold cucumber slices counteract the rich flavor of the eel.

The next day, I made another standard or popular fail-proof eel dish called “wu-maki 鰻巻き” (picture #2). Again, I made and posted a version of this some years ago. I served this with sliced cucumber and grated daikon with soy sauce.

Finally, I made a mini una-ju ミニ鰻重 as a shime or ending dish the next evening (picture #3). I used a small square box which was a part of a larger ju-bako we used for Hanami. The traditional way of serving this is with white rice, some “unagi” sauce and the filet of kaba-yaki eel placed on top. My wife requested “sushi rice” so I used frozen rice we made some time ago when we cooked rice. After thawing and warming up the rice in a lidded silicon container in the microwave, I added some sushi vinegar (from the bottle). I mixed the vinegar into the rice and let it sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile I heated up the eel kabayaki in the toaster oven (on toast mode) until warm with the sauce bubbling. I added “sansho 山椒” Japanese  pepper powder on the top.

For us, this was the perfect ending to the meal. We spread the enjoyment of this eel over several days because too much eel is too much of a good thing. We were quite pleased with the  quality of this frozen eel kaba-yaki from China which we got from Weee.

Roasted Carrot Soup にんじんスープ

We found a bag of carrots in the fridge which needed to be used soon. My wife came up with the idea of making a carrot soup.  My usual method of  making “vegetable potage/soup” is to sauté some onions with other aromatics. Then adding whatever vegetable I am using as the basis for the soup to the pan for a quick sauté. (I may also add potato if I think the soup will need to be thickened which is what I do for asparagus soup, for example.) I add chicken broth and some herbs and simmer until the vegetables become soft. I blend the cooked vegetables into soup using an immersion blender. I add cream before serving. My wife looked up recipes for carrot soup and came up with the idea of roasting the carrots in the toaster oven. In addition she suggested sautéing the onion in brown butter. The roasting enhanced the flavor of the carrots by intensifying their sweetness and the brown butter added some nuttiness.  We had the soup cold for lunch topped with a dollop of sour cream (#1).

This was a part of our lunch with beef tongue sandwich and potato salad (I added thinly slices mini-cucumber dressed in sushi vinegar to the potato salad just before serving.)

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh carrots peeled and cut as seen in #3, coated with olive oil and seasoned with salt
One large onion, diced finely
2 tbs butter
2 cups or more chicken broth (this time we used the simmering liquid from when we cooked the beef tongue)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp grated ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Bake the carrots at 350F for 30 minutes until soft and surface starts caramelizing.
Melt the butter in a pan and let it brown for several minutes.
Sauté the onion for a few minutes. Add the roasted carrots and the broth.
Add the bay leaf and the ginger and simmer for 30 minutes.
remove the bay leaf and blend until smooth using an immersion blender.
Season to taste.

Before serving add milk or cream to the thickness you prefer 
Add a dollop of sour cream (optional)

This was a good way to use up our gett’en-old carrots.

Baked Spaghetti (angle hair) Cup with meatballs オーブン焼きスパゲッティカップ

My wife saw the original recipe for this dish on the Washington Post website but she made substantial changes. She really was sold on the idea of making pasta cups and stuffing them with something. We usually do not keep spaghetti on hand but we do keep angel hair pasta in the pantry. I had just made pork meatballs with ricotta cheese as well as some marinara sauce to use on pizza. So my wife came up with the idea of taking the angel hair pasta we had, tossing it with the marinara sauce I just made and using it to make “spaghetti” cups. Then since we already had the meat balls, using them to stuff the spaghetti cups and topping them with cheese. (In the original recipe, the pasta cups are made with spaghetti are stuffed with ground turkey and broccoli). In any case, her idea worked well.  We were expecting the pasta cups to be crispy outside but it did not happen and they tasted like regular pasta with marinara sauce. This was basically pasta with meatballs in marinara sauce in compact basket form.  I served this with chicken wing simmered in black vinegar (I happened to make this dish for other reasons) and small green salad with cucumber and Campari tomato. I ask my wife to continue.

Ingredients:
6 ounces cooked angle hair pasta 
1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, (or to taste)
12 meat balls cut in half (if cooking in mini muffin tins that make 24 small muffins or 24 if using whole meatballs). 
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup (3/4 ounce) grated parmesan cheese (or more to taste)
various cheeses to top the pasta cups (we used smoked gouda and sharp cheddar 
Salt to taste

Directions:
Cook the angle hair pasta according to package instructions. After it is drained toss it with the homemade marinara sauce. Add the egg and toss until the egg is incorporated. Add the grated parmesan cheese and toss until fully mixed with the pasta. 

When ready to make the spaghetti cups, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Put the paper liners in the small bite muffin tin. Distribute the pasta into the wells of the muffin tin, creating a divot in the center of each to hold the meatball (#1). Distribute the meatballs among the spaghetti cups (it’s okay if it comes above the top of the wells) (#2). Cover the meatballs with the gouda/cheddar cheeses (#3). Bake until nicely browned, 20 to 30 minutes (#4). Let cool for 5 minutes then serve. 

These make very nice bite-sized appetizers. They taste very savory and satisfying. This was a great variation on the theme of spaghetti and meatballs.

Scallops and Shrimp with Yuzu Galic Butter Sauce ホタテとエビのソテー柚子ガーリックバーターソース

This is another inventory control dish. This time, frozen scallops and shell-on shrimp from “Great Alaska Seafood”. We had this as an ending “shime” dish for the evening. Since I had 4 scallops and 2 shrimp, vacuumed packed into two separate packages I could quickly thaw them by soaking the packages in ice water. Frozen items thaw much quicker using this method than leaving them in the refrigerator to thaw since water has much better heat transfer than air. Just before cooking, I patted them dry with paper towels and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I also decided to cook the shrimp with the shell on.

This is not a recipe per se but just for our record. Since I had some “ao-yuzu 青柚子” (from the Suzuki Farm) left, I used the zest and juice to make a Yuzu garlic butter sauce.  To mop up the sauce, we served several slices of mini-baguette I baked. The cucumber salad was dressed with strained home-made yogurt (Greek yogurt) seasoned with salt and olive oil. I also added finely chopped dill.

To sear and brown the scallops, I used a stainless steel frying pan with peanut oil (high smoking point) on medium high flame. I waited until the surface of the oil shimmered and I made sure the surface of the scallops was dry. I seasoned them with a generous amount of salt and pepper. I placed them in the pan for 1 minute until browned. Then turned them over and added the shrimp and cooked 1 more minute. I took out the scallops and set them aside (at this stage they were undercooked). I turned the shrimp over and cooked 30 more seconds then took them out. I added some butter (1-2 tbs) to the pan and when it melted added the finely chopped garlic and cooked for 30 seconds. I added a splash of white wine, scraped off the brown bits and stirred. I added the scallops and shrimp back into the pan and cooked for 30-40 seconds. Then I added the yuzu juice and zest and served.

As a quick impromptu dish, this was quite good. It is unfortunate I could not undercook the scallops since they were not sashimi quality but they were still quite ok.

Julienned vegetable salad 刻み野菜サラダ

I got the idea for this salad of julienned vegetables from two separate sources. One was a segment on a food blog I follow about a tempura restaurant in the Ginza called “Ten-Asa 天あさ” which serves a julienned vegetable salad. The other was a YouTube episode by Chef Kasahara describing a similar salad. I am not sure how the salad dressing was made at Ten-Asa but from the description, it must contain  “shio-kombu 塩昆布” julienned “salted kelp”. In addition, this kelp was also used in Kasahara’s recipe.

Since I was planing to make “smelt fry ししゃものフライ” and “arancini”, I thought this type of salad, made without any oil in the dressing, would be a perfect salad accompaniment (#1). I think any vegetable can be used. Ten-Asa clearly included cabbage. I used what I had on hand which included carrot, cucumber and wood ear mushroom. Besides the salted kelp, I also used re-roasted and coarsely ground white sesame seeds for seasoning following chef Kasahara’s example. This turned out to be a very refreshing salad. We felt it was a healthy offset to the fried food we were eating .

Ingredients (for two servings) (see picture #2)
2 American mini cucumbers, “Katsura-muki 桂剥き” roll-cut making thin sheets and then finely julienned or using a mandolin with a julienne attachment.
2 scallions, white parts, cut lengthwise on one side (not through), opened like a book and then finely julienned called “shirakami-negi 白髪ネギ or white-hair scallion”*
4-5 fresh wood ear mushrooms, blanched and washed, cut into thin julienne (optional, I happened to have them on hand. They added a nice crunch)

(I am not sure if the two ingredients listed below would be considered seasoning or salad ingredients. They impart a very unique flavor and aroma)
4-5 green perilla “aojiso 青紫蘇” leaves, stacked, rolled and cut into thin julienne.
1 “Hojiso 穂紫蘇” flower and seed pods (optional**)

Dressing (seasoning)
2 tbs “shio-konbu 塩昆布” salted kelp
1 tbs coarsely ground white sesame

*This is easier if using a Tokyo “Negi” scallion which is much thicker than spring onion/scallion.
** This is the top of the plant in autum developing flower/seed pods. Our perilla started blooming so “hojiso” was available. But this is totally optional.

Directions:
Soak the julienned vegetables in ice water for a few hours and drain (#2). Let them dry on a paper towel. Just before serving, add the shio konbu and the sesame and toss. Taste and if not salty enough, add more shio-konbu or add “Konbu-cha 昆布茶” powder.

Besides the taste, the major factor of this salad is texture or “shokkan 食感”. For crunch, Chef kasahara suggested pickled young gobo or pickled “takuwan 沢庵” daikon.

Cucumber with Miso Sauces 味噌胡瓜

As far as we are concerned the best way to enjoy the fresh Japanese cucumbers we got from Suzuki Farm (see picture), is to eat the chilled fresh Japanese cucumber sticks with miso 味噌. Typically, the special miso called “Moromi-miso* もろみ味噌” is used and the entire dish is called “Moromi-kyuri もろみ胡瓜 or often abbreviated as “Moro-kyu” もろきゅう which I posted previously.

*Moromi-miso is meant to be eaten as a condiment rather than to be used for cooking or making soup. It has a liquid component mixed with ingredients such as soybeans and barley which are still visible in it.

I had some moromi-miso but it was fairly old. Upon tasting, I found it had oxidized so I couldn’t use it. Since I had already made two kinds of flavored miso from other ingredients we got from the Suzuki Farm, I used those flavored miso instead. On the left side I served “Yuzu” miso (dark) and “Kinome” miso (light). Although many Izakaya cut the cucumber into fancy shaped pieces for this dish (to justify the higher charges?), I just made it into sticks. One of the secrets to making this dish great is to chill the cucumber throughly in ice water before serving.

I served one cucumber between the two of us. It was extremely good and quite filling. The two kinds of miso I prepared were a great accompaniment. I thought the flavored miso tasted a bit better than the traditional moromi miso.

By the way, you can tell if a cucumber is fresh if the skin still has small prickles.

Although American mini-cucumber is a good substitute for Japanese cucumber, it is no comparison to a genuine Japanese cucumber. We were so happy to get these fresh Japanese cucumbers from Suzuki farm.

Cold Udon with Sesame Sauce 胡麻ソース和え冷製うどん

Cold noodles especially cold ramen noodles or “Hiyashi ramen 冷やしラーメン” and “Somen 素麺” are very popular summer lunches. Surprisingly I have not posted about cold somen noodles. I am sure I made them before but it could have been before we started the blog. Recently I made “cold pasta with tomatoes”トマトの冷製パスタusing thin udon noodles which we like a lot. Whenever we cook udon noodles, we make enough intentionally to have left-overs which we can use to make other dishes.  I decided to make a cold udon noodle dish. I have posted cold udon noodles with home-made ponzu and myoga  and cold udon with dipping sauce. This time, I made cold udon with sesame sauce. We happened to have simmered pork or “nibuta 煮豚” and marinated soft boiled eggs (from home-pasteurized eggs) or “ajitama 味玉”. So these became the toppings. The sesame sauce was made using roasted sesame seeds. (I re-roast store-bought “roasted” white sesame seeds) which adds a nice strong sesame flavor. I added a dab of Japanese mustard from a tube to my dish which gave the it a nice zing which I liked but my wife passed on the mustard (#1). 

Ingredients: (two small servings seen in #1)
1 servings of thin dried udon noodles, cooked as per the package instruction. Wash in cold running water after cooking (divided into two servings)

Toppings (anything you like but some protein, egg, and veggies such as cucumber. The ingredients listed below are what I used. Amounts are all arbitrary)
Simmered “nibuta 煮豚” pork, julienne
Cucumber, seeds removed,  julienned (I used American mini-cucumber)
“Gari ガリ” ginger slices in sweet vinegar, excess marinade squeezed out, julienned
Fresh “kikurage 木耳 wood ear mushroom (previously blanched, washed, and patted dry), julienned (I dressed it with home-made sweet vinegar)
Scallions, finely chopped
Ajitama 味玉, marinated soft boiled egg
Roasted white sesame seeds

Sesame sauce:
1 tbs white sesame, re-roasted in a dry pan (I used a special sesame roasting pan),
1 tbs x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce
1 tbs ponzu
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tbs mirin
1 or more tbs water

Directions:
Grind the sesame seeds in a Japanese “suri-bachi 摺鉢” mortar until oil comes out but stop before it becomes paste.
Add the ponzu, noodle sauce, mirin and vinegar. Taste and add the water to adjust the strength of the seasoning
Add the noodles to the sauce and mix so that the sauce will coat the surface of the noodles evenly (#2).

Add the toppings and garnish with sesame (#1). 

The sesame flavor really worked. I did not add any additional oil. I could have added Japanese hot mustard to the sauce but since my wife is not keen on really spicy food, I only added it to my serving. This turned out to be a very nice lunch on a hot and muggy day such as what we have been having  recently. 

Pea, Ricotta ad Mint Gazpacho えんどう豆、リコッタチーズとミントのガスパッチョ

We are having very hot and humid weather with customary severe thunderstorms in the afternoon. When my wife saw the recipe for nice fresh green pea gazpacho on the Washington Post website, she had to make it. We happened to have mint growing in our herb garden. We also had all the other ingredients except parsley so we made this without the parsley. This is a refreshing rich gazpacho with the peas (we used frozen baby peas) imparting a somewhat grassy taste which was not unpleasant. We topped it with our favorite Spanish extra-version olive oil. (Shown as the darker green in the pic).

Ingredients:
4 mini-cucumbers, seeds removed and cut into cubes (14 ounces total)
Flesh of 1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
2 cups frozen baby green peas
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup chopped scallions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup water (we used chicken broth)
(We omitted parsely)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
1 clove garlic
Fine salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving

Directions:
Prepare the peas. Since they were frozen we simply thawed them in a bowl with some hot water. In a Vitamix, combine the cucumber, avocado, peas, ricotta, scallions, water, chopped mint, lemon juice and garlic and puree until smooth. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and blend again, just to incorporate. Taste, and add more lemon juice, as needed.

We served this in a small bowl. The puree had a thick consistency which made us think of a pea smoothy. We made it a bit more soup-like with the addition of milk (or cream) and a drizzle of oil.  The pea and avocado flavors dominated. As mentioned the overall flavor was a bit grassy but it tasted more fresh than unpleasant. A great way to eat your veggies in the hot humid summer. 

Table of Contents 2025

January 2025

January 2     Happy New Year 2025 謹賀新年2025
January 5     Sushi Taro Osechi box 2025
January 8     Sushi Taro New Year Soba 手打ち蕎麦
January 11    Grilled “Tai” Perch Seasoned Rice 鯛飯もどき
January 14     “Karasumi” Japanese Bottarga from Maruhide 丸秀の唐墨
January 17    Bottarga/Karasumi Taste Test 日本の唐墨とサルジニアのボタルガの味比べ
January 20    Apple Pie Muffin and Pan Cake アップルパイ　マフィン
January 23    “Endless” Konnyaku 無限コンニャク
January 26    Mock Tofu 擬制豆腐
January 29    Apple Fritter アップルフリッター

February 2025

February 1    Braised Eggplant with Ground Chicken 茄子のそぼろ煮
February 4    Sashimi Daikon Garnish 刺身の大根つま/けん
February 7    Wild Rice Salad ワイルドライスサラダ
February 10    Apple Pie Muffin Made with Juiced Apple アップルパイマフィン
February 13    Chocolate Milk Bread チョコレートミルクパン
February 19    Ricotta Lemon Cookie リコッタチーズ　レモンクッキー
February 21    Assorted Japanese Mini-pans 日本のミニ菓子パン各種
February 24    Quesadilla with Mini-corn Tortilla and Browned Cheese
February 27    Burdock Root Kelp Roll ごぼうの昆布巻き

March 2025

March 2    Anchovy Onion Cocktail Biscuit アンチョビイと玉ねぎカクテルビスケット
March 6    Shrimp Chicken Gyouza エビと鶏肉の餃子
March 9    Chickpea fries ひよこ豆フライ
March 19    Babka Cookie Muffin バブカ　クッキー　マフィン
March 22    Nappa Cabbage Cream Stew 白菜のクリームシチュー
March 30    Jubako for “hanami” cherry blossom gazing 花見用市松模様の重箱

April 2025

April 2    Hanami 2025 花見2025
April 5    Hanami #2 花見＃2
April 8    “Cotton Candy Grape Muffin” “わたあめブドウ” のマフィン
April 11    “Cotton Candy Grape” Panna Cotta “わたあめブドウ“ パンナコッタ
April 14    Carrot Salad Muffin 人参サラダ入りマフィン

June 2025

June 12    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 1) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 15    Cream Cheese with Pickled Daikon クリームチーズ　沢庵入り
June 18    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 2) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 21    “Renkon” Lotus Root in sweet vinegar 酢れんこん
June 24    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 3) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...
June 27    Lemon Crumb Bar レモンクラムバー
June 30    Tokyo Kyobashi Areas Izakayas (part 4) 東京の居酒屋　東京駅八...

July 2025

July 3    Matcha Almond Pancake (again) 抹茶アーモンドパンケーキ
July 6    Izakaya in Kanazawa 金沢の居酒屋
July 9    Topping of Katsu-Don カツ丼のあたま
July 12    Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station area part 1 京都駅付近の居...
July 15    Vinegar Cured Mackerel Sushi with Shiro-ita Kelp バッテラ
July 18    Kyoto Izakaya in Kyoto Station Area Part 2 京都駅駅付近付...
July 21    Pea, Ricotta ad Mint Gazpacho えんどう豆、リコッタチーズとミントのガス...
July 24    Tottori Izakaya and Shinkansen “Izakaya” 鳥取の居酒屋と新幹...
July 27    Pea, Avocado and Mint Blini グリーンピー、アボカド、ミント　ガスパッチョ
July 30    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 1 札幌の居酒屋パート1

August 2025

August 2    Chilean Sea Bass in Sweet “Saikyo” Miso メロの西京味噌焼き
August 5    Izakaya in Sapporo Part2 札幌の居酒屋パート2
August 8    Cream Cheese Muffin クリームチーズマフィン
August 11    Sapporo Lunch Places Part 1札幌の昼ごはん パート1
August 14    Pork Vindaloo with Baby Corn and Edamame ポーク “ビンダル...
August 17    Izakaya in Sapporo Part3 札幌の居酒屋パート3
August 20    Impromptu Eggplant Mushroom Stir-fry 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め
August 23    Sapporo Lunch places part2 札幌の昼ごはん　パート2
August 26    Cold Udon with Sesame Sauce 胡麻ソース和え冷製うどん
August 29    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 4 札幌の居酒屋パート4

September 2025

September 1    Savory Breakfast Mini Cheesecakes ミニチーズケーキ
September 4    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 5 札幌の居酒屋パート5
September 7    Mapo (sort of) Eggplant “麻婆風” 茄子
September 10    Izakaya in Sapporo Part 6 札幌の居酒屋パート6
September 13    Oyster Mushroom and Chiku-wa Stir-fly with Yuzu-ko...
September 16    Cheese Straws チーズツイスト
September 19    Small Dishes or “Sake-no-sakana” 酒の肴
September 21    Prosciutto, dates, and goat cheese bites
September 24    Cabbage and pork belly stir-fry キャベツと豚バラの炒め物
September 27    Scallop fry ホタテのフライ
September 30    Yellow Squash Garlic Bites イエロースクワシュ、ガーリックバイツ

October 2025

October 3    Green Yuzu, “Kinome” Japanse pepper leaves 青柚子と木の芽
October 6    Japanese “Mizu” eggplant Asazuke 水茄子の浅漬け
October 9    Spanish Mackerel dumpling Soup topped with “Kinome...
October 12    Cucumber with Miso Sauces 味噌胡瓜
October 15    Moon gazing 10/6/2025 月見
October 18    Dishes from Yellowfin Tuna Sashimi Block キハダマグロ刺身の柵
October 21    Scallion Cheese Pinwheels ねぎとチーズの渦巻き
October 24    Hiyaoroshi Sake and Matsutake ひやおろし酒 “如空”と松茸
October 27    Funny cake ファニーケーキ
October 30    Julienned vegetable salad 刻み野菜サラダ

November 2025

November 2    Salmon Shrimp Pâté with Shiitake 椎茸入り鮭とエビのパテ
November 5    Cheese Pennies チーズ (ペニー) バタークッキー
November 8    Japanese Cucumber with “Sudachi” Miso 酢橘味噌胡瓜
November 11    Indian Pudding インディアンプディング
November 14    Kabocha Blini かぼちゃビリーニ
November 17    Brioche ブリオーシュ
November 20    Caramelized onion pizza 飴色玉ねぎピザ
November 23    White Pizza “Pizza Bianca” 白いピザ
November 27    Vanilla Shoofly Pie バニラシュウフライパイ
November 30    Simmered “Ni-Yakko” tofu 煮やっこ

December 2025

December 2    Nutmeat Pate 木の実のパテ
December 5    Wood-ear Mushroom in Sesame Sauce キクラゲの胡麻和え
December 8    Lemon Sponge Pudding/Pie レモンスポンジプッデング
December 11    Scallops and Shrimp with Yuzu Galic Butter Sauce ホ...
December 14    Sweet Potato muffin with Dates and Cranberries サツマ...
December 17    Chili Crisp Cottage Cheese Flatbread カッテージチーズフラットブ...
December 20    Chilean Sea bass with Steamed with Japanese Turnip...
December 23    ”Boti Gosht” Indian style Meat Cubes インド風の豚肉キューブ
December 25    Roasted Bone-in Leg of Lamb 骨付き子羊脚ロースト
December 28    Lotus root salad with Yuzu-kosho Mayo 柚子胡椒マヨ蓮根サラダ

Cucumber in soy sauce 胡瓜の醤油漬け

I would like to have fresh cucumbers (if available Japanese cucumber but American mini-cucumber is a great substitute). Usually American min-cucumbers come in a pack of 6. If not used within 2-3 days, they go bad (white specks, either bacteria or fungus, develop on the surface).  I make several kinds of cucumber salads and pickles in an attempt to use up the cucumbers.  Currently our favorite pickled cucumber is using leftover pickling liquid after making the daikon pickles. In addition, I also try to preserve fresh cucumbers by placing them in a Ziploc bag and pouring enough Vodka to coat all the surface plus a bit more and then I squeeze out as much air from the bag as I can. With this treatment, the fresh cucumber last about one week or a bit more. I am always looking for other recipes to use cucumbers. I saw this recipe in one of the Ko Kentetsu You Tube episodes. It is easy enough and looks interesting. This is marinated about 3 days. It is still crunchy. Soy sauce and vinegar make the foundation but the addition of ginger and a small slash of dark sesame oil really make it.

Ingredients:
3 American mini-cucumbers or 2 Japanese cucumbers. 
Fine julienne of ginger root

Marinade:
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice vinegar
Small splash of dark sesame oil

Directions:
Cut the cucumbers length wise in half
Remove the seeds using a small spoon
Cut the cucumber on a bias in bite sized pieces

Add the cucumber, ginger and the marinade to a sealable container. Close the container and refrigerate. 

You can enjoy this immediately or in few days.

We like this. It is very easy to make and slight sweetness combided with the sesame oil and ginger really make this a good side dish or “Hashi-yasume” 箸休め meaning “chopsticks rest” so that the chopsticks take a brief rest after heavy lifting of main dishes.

Pickeld Micro Cucumber and Daikon 小さなキュウリと大根のピクルス

The other day while we were shopping at the near-by Whole Foods, my wife found a new item which is called “Teeny Tiny Cucumber” (picture #3). They are much smaller than “American Mini-cucumbers” and about the size of cornichons. I decide to use them to make a Japanese style pickle along with a daikon pickle. I would have used Japanese citrus “Yuzu” but we do not have any access to fresh yuzu so instead, I used Myer lemons (#1). The cucumbers were not crunchy but the daikon was nicely crunchy. It was a bit too sour/acidic for my wife so next time, I will dilute the marinade with some water.

The marinade is a standard Japanese sweet vinegar (one part rice vinegar,1/2 part sugar, small amount of salt). This is essentially a variation of “Daikon Namasu” 大根なます.

Ingredients:
1 package (9oz) teeny tiny cucumbers (picture #3)*
1/3 medium daikon, peeled, cut into 3-4 mm thick rounds and then cut into tick match sticks
1 Meyer lemon, sliced (or yuzu if available).
1 tsp of salt to “sweat” the cucumber and daikon to remove some internal moisture. 

Marinade:
1 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup water (optional)*

Directions:
Mix the marinade ingredients in a sauce pan and heat on medium flame until sugar and salt melt and start the liquid starts simmering. Let it cool for 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl add the cucues, daikon and salt, mix well and let it stand for 10-15 minutes until water comes out.
Drain the excess moisture that came out, add half of  the lemon slices to the bottom of a mason jar, add the cucues and daikon and top with slices of the lemon (picture #2). Pour in the marinade. Once cooled to room temperature, place the jar in the refrigerator. The pickles will be ready in 2-3 days.

* Picture #3 is the package of this tiny cucues. I am not sure if this is a special kind of cucumber or just a young and small cucumber. It is grown in Canada.

We like this pickles. The cucumbers are a bit soft and not crunchy but the daikon was nicely crunchy. Over all, this was nice refreshing dish. May be we should have eaten it raw with a dip as suggested in the package. Next time.

Pickled Cucumber キュウリの漬物

We really like the pickled daikon which I posted before. I am making it regularly. As I mentioned in the previous post, the marinade contains a good amount of sugar and when I placed the daikon in the marinade, the marinade was basically a slurry i.e. not liquid. It weighed a total of 170 grams (120g sugar 25 gram vinegar, 12 gram sake, 15 gram salt, and 10 gram sake). But after 1-2 days, the moisture extracted from the daikon made the slurry into a liquid. Previously I discarded the marinade after the pickled daikon was finished. But this time I decided to experiment and added several whole American mini-cucumbers into the leftover marinade to see what would happen. After two days, the cucumber looked wrinkled. Nonetheless the result was surprisingly good. The cucumber tasted fresh and had some crunch left but was not raw. Initially I thought it was too sweet but the next day, the sweetness dissipated and just complemented the fresh taste of the cucumber. 

I wanted to see how the marinade changed after I used it for both the diakon and the cucumber. I did this by weighing it. I weighed the marinade both before and after the daikon and cucumbers were done. Before I put in the diakon, the marinade weighed 170 grams. After the diakon had been in the marinade for 2-3 weeks I removed it and weighed the marinade. It was 343 grams; meaning that 173 grams of liquid were extracted from the daikon and replaced in the diakon by the salt and flavoring of the marinade. In essence the moisture extracted from the diakon doubled the total volume of the liquid.  I then added 4 American mini-cucumbers to the 343 grams of marinade and after 1week I removed the cucumber and weighed the marinade. It had increased to 398 grams. (An additional 55 grams of liquid from the cucumbers were added to the marinade). I am not sure how many times I can reuse the marinade like this but it is good to know that I can use it for at least one batch of cucumbers after marinating the diakon and the cucumbers come out nicely. 

Table of contents 2024

January 2024
January 1,    Happy New Year 2024 明けましておめでとう2024 
January 5,    Tomato and Egg Stir-fry with Wood Ear and Natto 納豆、トマト、木耳の卵炒め
January 22,   Goat Cheese Scallion Muffin ゴートチーズと青葱マフィン
January 25,   White "Pineberry" and Red "Koyo" Stawberries 白いイチゴと昂揚イチゴ
January 28,   Beef with Kon-nyaku and Vegetable "Kimpira" Stir Fry 牛肉と蒟蒻の金平

February 2024
February 3,     Chestnut Brown Butter, Sage Muffin 栗の粉とセイジマフィン
February 8,     Grated Lotus Root and Tofu Ball レンコン豆腐饅頭
February 11,    Sweet Onion Bread Pudding 玉ねぎのブレッドプデｨング
February 15,    Shad Roe from South Carolina 南カロライナからのシャドロウ
February 18,    Cranberry Camembert Cheese Bites クランベリーソース、カマンベールチーズ　バイツ
February 21,    Simmered Shad Roe with Vegetables シャドロウの煮付け
February 24,    Shad Roe Pasta  シャドロウパスタ
February 27,    Pickled Cucumber キュウリの漬物

March 2024
March 1,    “Maitake” Hen of the Woods Mushroom in Brown Butter and Sage 焦がしバターとセイジ風味舞茸
March 4,    Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs バーベキューベイビーバックリブ
March 7,    Salted Oatmeal Cookie 塩味オートミールクッキー
March 10,  Lobster Salad ロブスターサラダ
March13,    “Roman” Gnocchi ローマンニョキ
March 22,   Duck Tender Cutlet and Arancini 鴨ささ身のカツレツ
March 25,   Mary Walsh’s Currant Cake マリーウオルシュのカラントケーキ
March 28,   St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, Lamb Chops and Cabbage with bacon セントパトリックのディナー

April 2024
April 6,    Pumpkin “Kabocha” salad カボチャのサラダ
April 10,    Mini Fruit Galettes ミニフルーツガッレト 
April 21,    Spinach Soufflé (easy version) ほうれん草のスフレ 
April 30,    Frangipane Rolls フランジパンロール 

May 2024
May 13,    Pickled Micro Cucumber and Daikon 小さなキュウリと大根のピクルス 
May 15,    Steamed Carrot Buns with Ginger Custard 人参蒸しパン生姜カス... 
May 18,    Braised Eggplant with Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め
May 21,    Creamed Spinach with Cauliflower Puree カリフラワーピュレのク
May 24,    Anchovy Salad アンチョビサラダ
May 27,    Daikon Steak and Two Appetizers 大根ステーキ
May 30,    Focaccia Bread Baked in Breville Pizzaiolo Indoor Pizza Oven 

June 2024
June 2,    Steak and 2004 Joseph PhelpさんInsignia ステーキデｨナーと2004 インシグニア
June 5,    Gyoza made with New Round Gyoza Skin 日本風の餃子の皮で作った餃子 
June 8,    Filled Wool Bread 毛糸のパン 
June 11,    Shrimp Shumai 海老焼売 
June 14,    Pumpernickel Boule ドイツ黒パン 
June 17,    Ice Breaker “Summer” Sake 玉川アイスブレイカー酒 
June 20,    Carrot Panna Cotta 搾りたて人参ジュースのパナコタ
June 23,    Miso-marinated Firefly Squid ホタルイカの味噌焼き 
June 26,    Wood Ear Mushroom and Wakame Salad 木耳とわかめの和物 
June 29,    Nine “Otoshi” Appetizers お通し九種類

July 2024
July 2,    Egg roll 春巻き
July 5,    Red and Green Udon “Pasta” with Prosciutto 生ハムのせ赤と緑のうどんパスタ
July 8,    Pizza Made in Indoor Electric “Pizzaiolo” Pizza Oven 
July 11,    Garlic Chive Dumpling ニラ頭饅 or 韮菜万頭
July 14,    Mitsuba ミツバ 
July 17,    Dassai 45 and Dassai blue comparison 獺祭45とDassai Blue 50 飲み比べ 
July 28,    Cucumber in soy sauce 胡瓜の醤油漬け
July 31,    Tofu, Egg and Garlic Chives Stir Fry 豆腐ニラ玉、木耳入り

August 2024
August 9,    Home Coffee Roasting 緑コーヒー豆の自家焙煎 
August 12,    Icelandic Pumpernickel (Rye) Bread アイスランドのライ麦パン

September 2024
September 2,    Smelt Fry シシャモフライ
September 5,    Pesto Blini ペストビリニ 
September 8,    Yakitori de le Canard 鴨ささみで焼き鳥 
September 11,    Vegetables in Cold Broth 冷製のトマトの煮浸し 
September 14,    Pesto Blini Prosciutto Cheese Sandwich ペストビリニの生ハムチーズサンド
September 17,    Chicken Tender Fry with Salted Plum Sauce and Perilla ささみの梅大葉揚げ 
September 21,    Simmered Dried Daikon Threads 切り干し大根の煮物 
September 24,    Fresh Corn Blini コーンビリニ 
September 27,    Stir-fried Eggplant and Shiitake in Oyster Sauce 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め... 
September 30,    Mashed Potato Blini マシュポテトのビリニ

October 2024
October 3,    Five appetizers お通し５品
October  10,    Hen-of-the-Woods Grilled Cheese 舞茸のチーズ焼き
October 13,    Strawberry Blini いちごビリニ 
October 16,    Enoki mushroom frittata エノキ　オムレツ/フリッタータ 
October 19,    Kabocha salad カボチャサラダ 
October 22,    Matsutake (from Weee) Touban-yaki 松茸の陶盤焼き 
October 25,    Black Cod Marinated in Saikyo miso 銀鱈の西京(味噌)焼き
October 28,    Egg-wrapped Kabocha カボチャの黄金焼き 
October 31,    Almond Olive Oil Cake アーモンドオリーブオイルケーキ

November 2024
November 3,    Hiyaoroshi Sake Dewanoyuki “Sho-nai Bijin” 出羽ノ雪　冷やおろし庄内美人
November 6,    Hiyaoroshi Sake “Shichi Hon Yari” 七本槍　純米ひやおろし 
November 9,    Prosciutto-wrapped Haddock 生ハム巻きハドック (コダラ) 
November 12,    Marinated Chicken Tender Cutlet 鳥のささみのカツレツ
November 15,    Crispy Enoki Mushroom エノキのパリパリ焼き
November 18,    Bagel ベーグル 
November 21,    Chestnut Apple Soup クリとリンゴのスープ 
November 24,    Norwegian Mackerel Teriyaki 冷凍ノルウエイ鯖の照り焼き 
November 27,    “Imo-ni” Stew famous in Yamagata 芋煮庄内風 
November 30,    Matsutake and beef cooked in an Aluminum Foil Pouch 松茸と牛肉のフォイル焼き

December 2024
December 8,    Chestnut olive oil bread 栗とオリーブオイルケーキ
December 11,    Marinated Tofu and Egg Sir fry 味付け豆腐の卵炒め 
December 16,    Braised daikon with carrot, wood ear, and fried tofu 大根と人参の炒め物
December 19,    “Taco Carnitas”-ish タコ カルニタもどき
December 21,    Tofu in Warm Broth ミニ湯豆腐

Cucumber and Wood Ear in Mustard Sauce キュウリとキクラゲの辛子和え

We got fresh wood ear mushrooms “Kikurage” 木耳 from Weee. In an effort make the mushroom last longer I go through several steps. I wash the mushrooms, blanch them, then wash them again in cold water. I let them dry on a dish towel. I then place them in a Ziploc bag with some pieces of paper towel to absorb excess moisture. The texture does not change by blanching and wood ear does not have much flavor. Never-the-less, I am trying to use it up and look for new recipes. I found this recipe at e-recipe. I deviated from the original by adding roasted/barbecued pork instead of ham and also some changes in the dressing.

Ingredients:
One American mini-cucumber, ends trimmed, cut into half length-wise, then sliced on bias
Wood ear mushroom (fresh or hydrate dry), cut into julienne (amount arbitrary)
Slices of roasted pork (or ham) cut into julienne (amount arbitrary)

For dressing:
1 tsp roasted sesame oil
2 tsp sweet vinegar (I used homemade which I keep in a bottle; the ratio of vinegar to sugar is 2:1 with a dash of salt)
1 tsp ponzu-shouyu
Japanese mustard (prepared from the tube) (amount to taste or for your liking)

Directions:
Knead the cucumber slices with small amount of salt, let them stand for 5 minutes and squeeze out excess moisture
Dress all the ingredients with the dressing. You could add more mustard. Adjust the taste to your liking
Refrigerate before serving.

This is a good small dish as an “otoshi” おとうし drinking snack. The wood ear adds nice crunch, the pork adds great flavor and the cucumber is refreshing. Spicy Japanese mustard also makes this dish. Best with cold sake but even goes with red wine.

Quail egg fry and Scotch eggs うずらの卵の串揚げとスコッチエッグ

We started using quail eggs ウズラの卵 from fresh eggs that we boil rather than using canned ones since the quality is much better. We can get fresh quail eggs from three sources; Weee on-line Asian grocery delivery service, our local Japanese grocery store (not always) and Whole Foods. Fresh quail eggs have their own problems, however. 1. It is difficult to judge if any eggs are cracked unless it is leaking the white or otherwise quite obviously damaged, 2. while boiling some quail eggs develop the cracks and 3. It is not easy to peel the shell without taking off some of the white. So the yield is 70-80% on good days. In any case, we got a dozen eggs and ended up with 10 boiled quail eggs (that is 83%!). I made mini Scotch eggs with the quail eggs and ground chicken. I also made “fried boiled eggs” (i.e. boiled quail eggs that are breaded and then deep fried). As a starter for one evening, I served half a Scotch egg, fried boiled quail eggs, fried shrimp heads from our Tako Grill take out and marinated or “zuke” tuna and hamachi sashimi. As a vegetable, I served “asazuke” 浅漬け of cucumber, nappa, daikon and carrot. I initially served with green tea salt and wedge of lemon. My wife requested “Tonkastu-sauce” as well.

I skewered two fried quail eggs with a tooth picks (shown under the shrimp head) emulating “Kushi-age” 串揚げ, Japanese breaded fried items on skewer, which is a classic Izakaya item.

How to prepare boiled quail eggs:
Add quail eggs to a pan of cold water on medium flame, as the water gets warmer, gently start stirring the water which helps to center the egg yolks. Once the water starts boiling turn down the flame and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately cool in ice water

Quaril egg Scotch egg:
Ingredients: Made 5
8 oz ground chicken (or beef or pork)
5 boiled quail eggs
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
freshly grated nutmeg, black pepper and salt to taste
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs Panko bread crumbs

For breading
Flour or potato starch
1 egg beaten mixed with 2-3 tbs water
Panko bread crumbs
Peanut oil for deep frying

Directions:
Sauté the onion and mushrooms in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, let it cool to the room temperature
Add ground chicken, panko and the seasonings, mix well and knead by hand (if too loose add more panko and/or potato starch).
Coat each quail egg in potato starch
Divide the meat mixture into 5 parts and make an oval 1/3 inch thick on your palm.
Place the egg in the center and encase it with the meat mixture to make an oval sphere (or ellipsoid)
Bread the sphere by coating in the potato starch (or flour), the egg water and the panko bread crumbs
Deep fry at 180F for about 5 minutes or until the bubbles become small
Cut in half and serve

This was quite good. The fried quail egg had a nice crunchy outside and the inside yolk was velvety smooth. The overall flavor was very nice too. It would have been easy to eat many more. The little Scotch egg was just the right amount as an appetizer for us. (We find the Scotch eggs made with regular hens eggs are too big.